Well, I finished reading “Judges” today. In my post about the first half of “Judges” I mentioned that Israel of that time was analogous to believers of today. We do what we want until we are neck deep in a disaster of our own making, and then we call on God to dig us out. Nothing ever really changes, does it?

In the second half of “Judges”, it seems like God is getting a tad frustrated with His people, the Israelites. He keeps appointing judges to rescue and guide Israel, but they tend to only last a few years, for one thing.

Hebrew Scripture

Also, in the beginning of this book, we are only told that the Israelites did wicked things and worshipped other gods. But the second part is much more particular and vivid in its details.

At one point, we are even told a story involving a town called Gibeah, near Jerusalem that is reminiscent of Lot and the angels in Sodom. Only this time the angels are replaced by a Levite and his concubine. Since there are no angels to zap the inhabitants of Gibeah, they end up with the concubine whom they rape and kill. This brings about a war between Israel and the tribe of Benjamin which is all but wiped out.

The gist is that we are being informed that things in the Promised Land are at least as bad as they were in the valley of Sodom and Gomorrah. The implication is, of course, that every one was guilty.

I don’t know about you, but this seems to be God’s way of letting us know that we are, indeed, in need of a Savior. After all, if nothing ever really changes, we remain guilty and it continues to take acts of God to save us be it temporally or eternally.